geovanny polanco

2.0
MELVIN VAN PEEBLES & ARTISTS ON THE CUSP
Curated by Lisa D. Hayes, ESQ. & Souleo Enterprises, LLC
EXHIBITION DESCRIPTION
On September 19, 2013 the showcase series, eMerge 2.0 launched its second annual
celebration of some of today’s most exciting and evolving contemporary visual artists.
Creations from early-career art makers, produced by reimagining such everyday objects
as thumbtacks, clothing buttons and vinyl records, were displayed alongside the items from
the revered “master of artistic reinvention,” Melvin Van Peebles.
As the exhibition’s anchor, Van Peebles made his visual art debut with Ex-Voto
Monochrome (A Ghetto Mother’s Prayer), (2006), a mixed media meditation exploring the
intersection between violence, economic disenfranchisement, womanhood and faith.
Noteworthy pieces from Van Peebles’ private collection were also on display, including two
rarely seen paintings by George Helton, deceased husband of Isabel Taylor Helton, designer
of Van Peebles’ Manhattan apartment.
Glass artist, Joseph Cavalieri’s And Then There’s Maude, (2013) celebrates the iconic 1970s TV
character, Maude Findlay (played by Bea Arthur), a middle-aged, politically liberal woman living in suburbia. Cavalieri employs a meticulous ancient process that involves cutting glass
from a paper pattern, kiln-firing enamel onto the colored glass at 1250 degrees Fahrenheit
and adding modern elements of collage, silk screening and LED lights. JaSon E. Auguste also
gleans inspiration from pop culture with, iAncientModernTuneIn, (2013), a large-scale
sculpture made entirely out of vinyl records. Auguste seeks to celebrate the power of music
as a spiritual force moving us with rhythm and beat, sound and power and delivering
messages and purpose.
Mixed media artist, Kimberly Mayhorn’s Angst for a Paradise Lost (2009) explores how
religious ideologies anchors itself throughout the world amongst society. Religious texts,
found objects, wood and a 20 lb. weight are used to create tension between unlikely materials
to create a new dialogue on the global implications on religious practices and humans’
relationship with religious texts.
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EXHIBITION DESCRIPTION
Josh Goldstein’s Wing Fat (shmear), (2011) explores the murky boundary between the mundane
and the sublime that he has observed during his daily travels throughout New York City. By
juxtaposing Chinese take-out menus, bodega signs, Geovanny Polanco concert posters, Urdu
newspapers, street signs, graffiti, and other urban ephemera, he recontextualizes the
banalities of city life. Goldstein’s second piece, hood (2013) is a portrait of Trayvon Martin,
the 17-year-old black teen who was fatally shot in February 2012 in a high-profile incident
that sparked national outrage and a discussion about racism, classism and the justice
system. The artist uses Skittles (Martin was carrying a bag of Skittles at the time of his
killing) to recreate the iconic photo of Martin wearing a hoodie. The color palette of red,
white and blue references the American flag as a critique of the nation’s ongoing issues
surrounding race and violence.
David Hollier’s Mandela, (2013) is part of his collection of drawings titled “Imago Verbum.”
These are images made up of words and done entirely by pen. A recurring theme in the series
is portraits of influential people with a positive message. Thus he presents a tribute to
Nelson Mandela, leader of the anti-apartheid movement and South Africa’s first black
president.
Beau McCall’s Domino Kool (Hood Classic I), (2013) challenges Kool-Aid, a popular drink
associated with childhood and innocence. Through the use of buttons, McCall transforms
the Kool-Aid logo into a deceptive character enticing with its smile and vibrant color yet
offering a sugary nutritional deficiency that has contributed to serious health ramifications within urban communities. The viewer is left with the question: to drink or not to drink?
Another popular supermarket brand is the subject of art in Misra Walker’s Aunt Yemeya
(2013). Walker juxtaposes two iconic figures. One is, Aunt Jemima who was first represented
as a mammy figure, later transformed into a contemporary figure of motherhood and is
now a familiar face in the supermarkets. Walker adds into the photograph, Yemaya a
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EXHIBITION DESCRIPTION
goddess of Yoruba culture. She is the protector of the sea and mother to all life. Her history
has traveled across seas and transformed and blended with other religions. Thus, Walker
explores both women’s cultural similarities and transformations.
Laura Gadson’s Lovin’ is Really My Game, (2013) shares its namesake with a 1970s song by the
band, Brainstorm. Gadson reflects on her youthful days of music, block parties and mating
rituals through the depiction of a woman dancing and embracing life. Clara K Johnson’s Fiery
Plea (2012) is an abstract diptych of layered acrylic paints and paper with juxtaposed line
drawings by acrylic marker. It reflects the ease of movement, the simple complexities and
the wondrous subtleties found in nature.
Greg Frederick’s Michael Jackson, (2013) pays tribute to the legendry entertainer. Entirely
composed of broken vinyl records the piece is at once an embrace of pop culture and a
critique of its appetite to build up and then shatter pop stars. Finally, Andre Woolery’s It’s
All About the Benjamins (2011) is meant to play with the ideas of currency, the power of the
mind and the place that black people hold in United States history. The Benjamin displayed
here is clearly not Benjamin Franklin, he is Benjamin Banneker, an 18th century
African-American author, scientist, mathematician, farmer, astronomer, publisher and urban
planner. Here the gloss of the thumbtacks and the bill are meant to clash with the grit of
American history.
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EXHIBITION VIDEO
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FEATURED ARTWORK
Melvin Van Peebles, Ex-Voto Monochrome (A Ghetto Mother’s Prayer), 2006.
Mixed media, 89 x 63 in.
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FEATURED ARTWORK
George Helton, Untitled, (year unknown). Oil on canvas, 25.5 x 31.5 in.
Courtesy of the private collection of Melvin Van Peebles.
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FEATURED ARTWORK
George Helton, The Rock Concert, (year unknown). Oil on canvas, 27.5 x 33 in.
Courtesy of the private collection of Melvin Van Peebles.
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FEATURED ARTWORK
Joseph Cavalieri, And Then There’s Maude, 2013.
Silk screened and kiln fired stained glass, metal frame, LED lighting, 16.5 x 16.5 x 2 in.
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FEATURED ARTWORK
JaSon E. Auguste, iAncientModernTuneIn, 2013.
Skullcandy Rasta headphones, original african wood carved mask, vintage albums, 89 in x 69 in.
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FEATURED ARTWORK
Kimberly Mayhorn, Angst for a Paradise Lost, 2009. Mixed media, 43 in. (diameter).
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FEATURED ARTWORK
Josh Goldstein, Wing Fat (shmear), 2011. Mixed media, 52 x 54 in.
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FEATURED ARTWORK
Josh Goldstein, hood, 2013. Skittles on painted plywood, 25 x 13 in.
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FEATURED ARTWORK
David Hollier, Mandela, 2013. Pen and ink, 42 in. sq (framed).
Text from speech: Nelson Mandela, “Renewal and Renaissance – Towards a New World Order,” delivered on July 11, 1997 at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, UK.
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FEATURED ARTWORK
Beau McCall, Domino Kool (Hood Classic I), 2013.
Buttons, plexiglass, embroidery thread, plastic jar, wood shelf, doilies, 25 x 25 in. Pour: 51 in.
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FEATURED ARTWORK
Misra Walker (The House of Spoof Collective), Aunt Yemaya, 2013. Photography, 27 x 35 in.
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FEATURED ARTWORK
Laura Gadson, Lovin’ is Really My Game, 2013. Textile, 43 x 23 in.
Song reference: Brainstorm, “Lovin’ is Really My Game” from the album Stormin’, Tabu Records, 1977.
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FEATURED ARTWORK
Clara K Johnson, Fiery Plea, 2012.
Mixed media: acrylic paint, handmade paper, acrylic marker, acrylic mediums, gallery wrap, 34 x 24 in. (diptych).
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FEATURED ARTWORK
Greg Frederick, Michael Jackson, 2013. Vinyl records and CDs on wood panel, 48 x 60 in.
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FEATURED ARTWORK
Andre Woolery, It’s All About the Benjamins, 2011. 23,850 thumbtacks, 108 x 48 in.
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ARTIST BIO
Melvin Van Peebles
Melvin Van Peebles was born in 1932 on the South Side of Chicago. Though primarily known as a
the father of blaxploitation (1971's Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song is recognized as
African-American cinema's opening salvo) and independent film as a whole, Van Peebles has tried
- and succeeded at - pretty much every type of artistic endeavor one can think of including:
visual artist.
In 1953 he attended Ohio Wesleyan University on a combined art and ROTC scholarship and
eventually graduated with a major in English. After serving in the Air Force he travelled through
Mexico working as a portrait painter. Shortly thereafter Van Peebles began to explore other
creative disciplines including directing, writing, producing, and acting in such groundbreaking
films as Watermelon Man (1970) and Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971).
He has been equally prolific as a novelist, journalist, playwright, musician, rapper and
composer—and was the first African-American to hold a seat on the American Stock Exchange.
His numerous achievements include the French Legion of Honor, the 1999 Chicago Underground
Film Festival's Lifetime Achievement Award, several Tony Award nominations, a Grammy Award
nomination and a Gotham Award from MoMA.
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ARTIST BIO
George Helton
George Helton, deceased husband of Isabel Taylor Helton, designer of Van Peebles'
museum-like Manhattan apartment, which is home to the paintings, illustrations, and sculptures
he's completed over the years. Helton’s work ranges from paintings to sculptures depicting
the African-American experience. Many details regarding his artistic and private life remain a
mystery without much verifiable information available to the general public.
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ARTIST BIO
Joseph Cavalieri
Cavalieri's award-winning work has been exhibited in art galleries and museums in the U.S.
Europe, India and Australia, including the Museum of Arts and Design (New York), The Society
of Arts and Crafts (Boston). Bullseye (Oregon) Water Mill (South Hampton, NY) as well as TS
Art Projects in Berlin. He has been chosen for the International Arte Laguna Prize in Venice,
Italy. He is currently represented by the Duane Reed Gallery in St. Louis, and had three
one-man-shows in 2013.
Joseph's work is part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Arts and Design, and the
Leslie-Lohman Museum, both in New York. Permanent installations can be seen at Dixon Place
Theater, New York; Sanskriti Foundation, Delhi; Instituto Sacatar, Brazil; Lo Studio dei Nipoti,
Italy; North Lands Creative Glass, Scotland, and New York City’s MTA Philipse Manor Train
Station, in Sleepy Hollow, New York.
Cavalieri was born and raised in Pleasantville, New York, the youngest of seven children, then
graduated the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. Joseph Art Directed at GQ, Good
Housekeeping and People magazines, helping decide important issues like who is the “sexiest
man alive” and the “best and worst dressed” celebrities. In 1997 he was introduced to glass
through classes at UrbanGlass, which led to teaching and working full-time in 2009.
For more information please click here.
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ARTIST BIO
JaSon E. Auguste
As a self-taught artist, JaSon E. Auguste taps into the secret, mystical chambers of his DNA’s
ancient code to reflect on the inner and outer mysteries of life, which he sees and feels around.
These codes, patterns, sequences and symbols are subconsciously embedded and encoded in
his works of art.
As he states, “I live for the Most High. I create, I love, I am here… so simple but complex…
I am a soul from creation, traveling through existence until this moment in time. I love to help
others with their lives and works that uplift us all. I have been moved by a remembrance of a
time when we used the different realms in the sphere of life to heal our bodies, minds and uplit
four souls. I travel in search of these realms to bring to form that can be seen, felt and
nurtured. My works are full of Wadada (Love). Seeing the Seen Unseen I feel has always heal, so
with colors movements ancients symbols with modern meanings, I see the unseen. Which all
interpreted by my heart, felt by my soul and moved by my emotions. These works are for those
who see, feel and heal beyond what is seen. Qiddus (Sanctified) Selah Qiddus Wadada, Inspired
by The Ancientcy of Existence an the future of the now.”
Auguste uses multiple art mediums and forms in his visual arts from hand drawings to digital
processes. Auguste has exhibited at El Muséo del Barrio for a one-day exhibition and tribute
to Jean-Michel Basquiat, the French Institute for the International Organization of the
Francophonie, the Jamaican film presentation for Better Must Come at Lincoln Center and
his solo show entitled Qiddus: An Ancient Modern Introspective.
For more information please click here.
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ARTIST BIO
Kimberly Mayhorn
Brooklyn-based artist, Kimberly Mayhorn is a Whitney Museum of American Art, Independent
Study Fellow, and was selected by Essence magazine as one of "30 Women to Watch.”
Kimberly is a self-taught conceptual artist utilizing film, sound, found objects, leather,
mechanical components such as springs, pulleys, weights, clock parts and gears to create
large-scale, site-responsive installations, assemblages, sculptures, and mixed media art that
are process-driven exploring themes such as history, time, tension and decay.
Kimberly has shown in a variety of institutions such as The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Rush
Arts in New York, Five Myles in Brooklyn, Aljira in Newark, The African American Museum in
Philadelphia, The University Museum at Texas Southern University in Houston, and the African
American Museum in Dallas. She has also collaborated with choreographers Dai Jian, Shalewa
Mackall and the late Lowell Dennis Smith and has participated in artist residencies at Atlantic
Center for the Arts with Master Artist Radcliffe Bailey; The University of Chicago for the
Study of Race, Politics, and Culture; Sculpture Space; Delaware Center for the Contemporary
Arts; HERE Artist Residency Program, among others. Kimberly is also the recipient of a 2013
Yaddo residency.
For more information please click here.
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ARTIST BIO
Josh Goldstein
Born in Indiana with Mexican and Jewish roots, Josh Goldstein has long reveled in walking the
line between divergent worlds. Though his life began in the Midwest, he maintained an obsession
with New York City until he finally moved there in 1993. Once in the city, he quickly began soaking
in its cultural stew. He studied architecture at Pratt Institute, made rugelach at a
subterranean bakery in Little Italy, worked at a few architectural firms, and co-hosted a
public-access TV show comparing the relative merits of Ritz Crackers with apples. Whenever
he had a free minute he explored the city on his bike.
On these rides Goldstein photographed everything from Chinese fishmongers and Jamaican
patty stands, to graffiti, street signs, and manhole covers. But it was the classic New York
City bodega that especially caught his attention in the early years. He was riveted by the
bodegas' bright colors, bold graphics, and rotating set of key words, as well as by their
entrepreneurial spirit.
Recently, Target commissioned Goldstein to conceive three billboards in Times Square totaling
6000 square feet. He is currently represented by JLA Studios in Brooklyn, and has also been
represented by Galerie Geraldine Zberro in Paris. His multi-paneled collages hang at the
corporate headquarters of Vitamin Water and Credit Suisse First Boston, in the main branch
of the Bronx Public Library, and at WNYC's Greene Space, as well as numerous private
collections throughout the United States, South America, and Europe.
He received a Bachelor of Architecture from Pratt Institute, and a Bachelor of Arts from
Washington University in St. Louis.
For more information please click here.
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ARTIST BIO
David Hollier
After 11 years as a UK based artist with AP-ART group, Hollier has made Bushwick, Brooklyn his
new home for inspiration. By day he is an Adjunct Professor at Parsons the New School for
Design and he has designed graphic design campaigns for Old Navy and Gap. By night he
creates strong graphical aesthetic visuals in various mediums including watercolor, spray paint,
oil and acrylic. Hollier identifies himself as a documentarian with a keen interest in symbolism,
theology and current affairs.
For more information please click here.
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ARTIST BIO
Beau McCall
Themes, emotions and visions represented in an elaborate multifaceted format. The whimsical
sensation of an eclectic fusion of color, shapes and textures. The story told by a single button.
These are a few of the features exemplified in the artwork of, Beau McCall. Drawing inspiration
from the vast button collection of his mother and aunts, he crafts art images combining
various materials such as mother of pearl, wool and decorative buttons. With deliberate focus
the buttons are arranged to stimulate one’s curiosity and imagination, while simultaneously
drawing attention to the unique history of buttons. Thereby McCall’s work generates a
discussion surrounding many topics such as class, race and politics.
As a creative artist, McCall began his career in Harlem after arriving with nothing more than
two hundred dollars, a duffel bag and a few buttons in his pocket from home. Two years later
he made his critically acclaimed debut with wearable art at the Black Fashion Museum show
for HARLEM WEEK. McCall went on to become an established force within the Black Fashion
Museum collective presenting at their shows consecutively for ten years, as well being featured
in their museum exhibition and prestigious events. During this time, McCall’s visually captivating
work was featured in the fashion bible, Women’s Wear Daily and on PBS. Since then McCall has
begun to focus solely on creating visual art. eMerge: Danny Simmons & Artists on the Cusp in
2012, marked his debut as a visual artist. In 2013 he made history as one of the exhibiting artists
in AARP NY’s first-ever art exhibition. McCall is also a noted creative arts expert providing
commentary for various media outlets including Black Enterprise magazine (digital).
For more information please click here.
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ARTIST BIO
Misra Walker
of The House of Spoof Collective
Misra Walker is a founding member of this collective of young artists that was formed in the
memory of Glenn “Spoof” Wright, a fellow artist and friend. Wright was an artist on the cusp
when his life was tragically taken away at the age of 21. To honor his commitment to community
and the arts, the House of Spoof has transformed an abandoned space in the Hunts Point
area of the Bronx into an open source of art named, Brick Gallery. They are a diverse group
that works with various artistic mediums such as photography, painting, music, drawing,
graphic design, silkscreen printing and other forms of printmaking. Wright is the younger
brother of co-curator, Souleo.
For more information please click here.
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ARTIST BIO
Laura Gadson
Quilt, fiber mixed media artist, Laura R. Gadson has explored various art mediums but has used
quilting as her primary medium of artistic expression since 2001. Her work has been exhibited
in the New York State Museum in Albany, The Cork Gallery at Lincoln Center, Columbia
University and in national group exhibitions. Gadson’s quilt designs have been selected to be
displayed as banners in Harlem’s 125th Street Business Improvement District banner project
for both 2009/10 and 2010/11 seasons and will have work fabricated as a permanent iron plaque
in Harlem’s newly constructed East River Park. Her craftwork is in the private collections of
such notables as Susan Taylor and Iyanla Vanzant as well as many local collectors. A Harlem
brownstone has been her home, studio and personal gallery since 1993.
Ms. Gadson is a graduate of the renowned Fiorello LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and
holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the City College of New York. Besides creating her
quilts she also teaches various art forms and curates/coordinates opportunities for other
artists to exhibit. Curatorial credits include the Harlem Sewn Up quilt exhibition at the Dwyer
Cultural Center in 2009 and Pieced Together: from Moscow to Harlem in collaboration with the
Russian American Foundation in 2011. She has been an instrumental force in the formation of
the Strivers Art Circuit tour, a promotional endeavor for artists who live or work in the
Striver’s Row Corridor of Harlem, New York.
For more information please click here.
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ARTIST BIO
Clara K Johnson
The five-year old, pint-sized girl with thick, brown glasses and four plaits in her hair stood amid
the yelling and screaming of her seven siblings and the wailings of countless nieces and nephews
and had a notion, "We need to bring some art into this house."
Even since those early days of childhood chaos, Clara K Johnson, in her own special way, sought
to make her surroundings beautiful. She often helped her late father refinish the woodwork
at their home and labored with him on home improvement projects throughout the city of
Rochester, New York where she grew up.
Quietly and unbeknownst to her, these early artistic endeavors laid the foundation for her
talents and gifts to thrive. These gifts were planted from birth, as her late maternal grandfather, Benjamin R. Harrison, was the creator of Johnson C. Smith’s mascot, "The Golden Bull,"
in Charlotte, North Carolina.
To those that know Clara well, it’s no real surprise that she’s now focusing her talents on canvas with oil and acrylic paints. Once again, she is using her talents to create beauty in the
world as she brings art into her house and yours.
Clara currently resides in Raleigh, North Carolina. She loves to travel, paint and decorate.
For more information please click here.
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ARTIST BIO
Greg Frederick
Greg Frederick’s vinyl pop art is inspired by modern-day street artists such as Banksy, Mr.
Brainwash and Shepard Fairey. His pieces are created with broken vinyl records, their
sleeves/packaging and other recycled materials. His work appeared next to Andy Warhol silkscreens at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art in his first professional show,
while the influential design website Fab.com highlighted Frederick as its featured artist in January 2012. Most recently, Frederick made his solo debut with the exhibition, Idolize This at the
Get Up Gallery in Las Vegas, NV.
For more information please click here.
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ARTIST BIO
Andre Woolery
Born in Jamaica and raised in Morristown, NJ, by day Andre Woolery is the Associate Digital Director of KBS+P, representing clients such as TD Ameritrade and Kodak. Still he manages to
tap into his creativity by pinning portraits of artists together out of thumbtacks. In addition
to these signature pieces, Woolery also crafted more formal paintings of other people of note
like Michael Jackson, Muhammad Ali, Erykah Badu, and Bob Marley. Woolery’s work has been featured in the New York Times, ArtInfo.com, Daily Mail UK, Huffington Post UK and more.
For more information please click here
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CURATOR BIO
Lisa D. Hayes, ESQ.
With her background in law, savvy business sense and eye for art, Lisa D. Hayes, ESQ. is transforming a condominium into a premier gallery. Hayes serves as manager of, Strivers Gardens
Gallery, which is housed with The Strivers Gardens Condominium, located in the heart of Harlem.
The space is the vision of legendary deceased architect, J. Max Bond, Jr. and he was also responsible for the design of the Studio Museum in Harlem, Martin Luther King Jr. Center for
Nonviolent Social Change and Harlem’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. In her
role, Hayes has remained committed to providing a venue for gifted professional visual artists.
Hayes has managed and/or curated prior exhibitions featuring celebrated works by iconic
artists such as: Romare Bearden, Leroy Campbell, Betty Blayton, Otto Neals, Ademola Olugebefola, Kwame Braithwaite, the artists of Gee’s Bend and more. Hayes is also one of the cofounders of the Strivers Art Circuit, which has placed artists and their works in local
businesses to create new spaces of opportunity.
For more information please click here.
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CURATOR BIO
Souleo Enterprises, LLC
Souleo Enterprises creates and produces entertaining and informative events, media and
artistic projects. As a journalist, Souleo has written for Newsweek, Ebony, New York Press, Black
Enterprise, XXL, Sister 2 Sister, and Rolling Out. He's also been featured on CNN’s The Nancy
Grace Show, MTV’s FNMTV Premieres, Access Hollywood and The Insider, and in the New York
Post, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Boston Globe, BET.com, and Match.com. Souleo recently created the column “On the ‘A’ w/ Souleo” which is now syndicated online across several media properties including Huffington Post, EBONY.com, SoulTrain.com, New York Amsterdam News, and
Rolling Out. In partnership with the New York Public Library, he produces LGBT, financial literacy
and creative arts programming. As a curator, his notable exhibitions include "eMerge: Danny
Simmons and Artists on the Cusp," the first-ever AARP exhibition "Lasting Legacy: The Journey
of You," Harlem’s unprecedented multi-gallery collaborative exhibition "Motown to Def Jam.”
For more information please click here.
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PRESS
The New York Times
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WNBC
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NBC’s TheGrio.com
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PRESS
EBONY.com
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HuffingtonPost.com
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Indiewire.com
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NY Amsterdam News
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Examiner.com
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SoulTrain.com • RollingOut.com
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TheUptowner.org • Morningsider.com • Parle Magazine
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2.0
MELVIN VAN PEEBLES & ARTISTS ON THE CUSP
Curated by Lisa D. Hayes, ESQ. & Souleo Enterprises, LLC